IoT is growing at a dizzy pace with hundreds of different devices in use. Security is compromised in the IoT network due to holes and poor security implementation in IoT applications. The math is simple. There are millions of such devices in use in domestic and industrial sectors, connected to a variety of sensors. The more devices there are, the more opportunities hackers have to hack into the network, guess at passwords or exploit weak settings. If you do get an IoT app developed by an IoT development company, security in implementation should be a top concern.
Different Sensors, Different Developers And No Unified Standards
Gartner estimates that the number of IoT gadgets in use by 2020 will be 21 billion. A staggering 5.5 billion devices connect to IoT every day. Numbers alone are a scary prospect. What makes security so vulnerable is the variety of IoT devices and sensors in use.
A typical home IoT network may have a video surveillance camera, microphone and temperature sensors. In industrial environments, the range of sensors connected to IoT is even more diverse including time, motion sensor, temperature, pressure, proximity, RPM counter and so on. These gather data from machines and processes and this data feeds the manufacturing industry’s computer system. The difficulty in having a secure system is compounded because:
Each sensor and associated equipment as well as controlling application may be a proprietary solution offered by one manufacturer. There may be a dozen or more such solutions in place in one single manufacturing unit. Such IOT Development Companies keep their systems a closely guarded secret. They may use different platforms in the design of the system and the app. Then again the IoT development company may not give top priority to security, focusing more on functionality. Given this situation, anti-virus companies find it difficult to offer or come up with security systems that can address all concerns. One complication is lack of awareness in organizations about security vulnerabilities and to have a dashboard view of all such devices in the network. Another complication is ownership of data that streams from such connected devices. Owner of the device may not have ownership of data that may be streamed to the device manufacturer’s server and the device manufacturer may make use of the data any way they like, to the extent of selling it to third parties and advertisers.
The answer is yes, security is compromised with the growth of IoT. Home users are at fault. They do not assign proper passwords and hackers can easily hack into the system. Internet of Things app development companies focuses on functionality and features and the need to get the app up and working. Layering in security would or could introduce complications they wish to avoid and do. Where sensors are attached to machines and are driven by automatic controlling apps than in such cases security may not even be considered by the user or by the supplier of the IoT device. Here the hardware security and software security are vulnerable.
Insist On Security
Sooner or later you will want an IoT connected app and will retain an IoT application development company. Rather than leaving it to them to address security concerns, make it a point to stress it. Insist on high-level encryption of data. It requires efforts and entails costs but a capable internet of things app development company should be able to do it for you. Another must-have feature in your app developed by IOT development company is the inclusion of middleware hardware physical security, especially if the app relates to manufacturing or industrial activity. The capable developer of IoT apps will address device security, network security and backend security to keep your network safe right down the line.